While we Steeler fans enter the calm before the storm of the upcoming draft, the story lines can get a bit repetitive. There’s only so many mock drafts a person can read about before sailing the phone out of a window like a very expensive, poorly designed frisbee. We know all the prospective names now, and everyone has an opinion on who should be selected and in which round. Are they right? Who knows. There are so many variables in motion, it’s anyone’s guess as to how it will go. Player evaluations rise and fall, teams fill needs with free agency acquisitions, and even unexpected injuries or legal problems can arise unexpectedly, changing the draft order.

During this time, instead of trying to predict what will happen, I like to look back at what makes me a fan so invested in the Steelers that I listen to the mock drafts and think that would be a good value pick in the fourth round! Even though I fell in love with Pittsburgh reading about the vaunted teams of the 70’s, I didn’t get to experience it. I started watching games around the 1982/83 season, when most of the soon to be Hall of Fame players that brought four championships to the Steel City were falling from the team like autumn leaves on a windy day.

Luckily, I was too young to understand the game during the decade of the 80’s, and I just thought it was cool that I was watching the team I loved when I had the chance to see them on tv. While fair weather fans jump from team to team depending on success, I was Black and Gold all the way, no matter what. The 80’s were a good example of “no matter what” for the most part.

The 90’s brought a new head coach, and an influx of new players. The Steel Curtain image of Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, Dwight White, and L.C. Greenwood is well deserved and stands the test of time. There is a reason it’s the SCN logo, as they are the foundation this franchise stands on. However, this new team of the 90’s gave me a group that I could identify with as my understanding of the game grew, and I developed an appreciation for hard, physical play that I hadn’t grasped as a kid.

Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Levon Kirkland, and Chad Brown became my version of the Steel Curtain. These guys played with a ferocity and passion that I had not witnessed before, and their roles were obvious enough that you didn’t have to be a defensive genius to understand why they were so important to the team. It was hard to mistake when Lloyd or Greene destroyed a quarterback, or Kirkland dropped back in coverage to break up a pass despite his large frame. Chad Brown with his speed and tenacity to disrupt a play was always a threat.

I saw “Mean” Joe Greene speak in person, and he said about those early bad Steelers teams “The team might not win the game, but I was going to win the fight.” That’s how I felt about the team of the 90’s. When I was with friends that were fans of other teams, it didn’t matter if their team had a better record. My team was tougher, and no one could argue with that. Sure, the other team might have a better offense and score more points, but somehow they always left feeling like they just had their butts kicked after the WWE style bodyslam hits this group of linebackers delivered. It’s true that they weren’t able to produce a championship, but they came damn close, almost overcoming not one but two ints….nevermind…I don’t want to talk about that.

I worked the night shift for my helicopter squadron back then, so I slept late. I also wasn’t used to the time difference. NFL games start EARLY on the west coast. So, the one time the Steelers were on local tv in 1993 on a Sunday was against the Saints. I woke up in time to see the final two minutes. The score was Steelers 37, Saints 14…and I had missed it. I was sick. There was no way back then to watch a game once it was played. It was just…gone.

Writing this, it dawned on me that now I probably could watch that game, thanks to the interwebs and the miracle of everything that ever existed being on it. I quickly did a search and nope…it’s not there. I found the old Chris Berman and Tom Jackson highlight reel, but that’s it. Boo…internet…boo. You had one job. This is the thing you don’t have? I mean, if you want to watch Season 2 episode 6 of Hardcastle and McCormick, be my guest, it’s right there.

Ok, I’m back after McCormick did some nifty driving and Hardcastle solved a crime. Sorry about that. I did find an NFL film titled “Fight to the Finish” about the 1993 Steelers, and man, did it bring back some memories. If you need a little break from all the draft discussion, it’s a great watch. Shoulder pads were so huge back then. F/A-18 pilots wish an aircraft carrier could be that size. Greg Lloyd is still mad, by the way.

That film will remind you of why we are “ride or die” listeners of SCN and debate every possible draft scenario. The passion that group of linebackers played with is the same passion that we watch and follow this team. It’s going to be another season of change coming up, and win or lose, we will be here for it. Crank up Renegade and let’s get after it.